


Glitch

by sparklinglabyrinth



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Mystery, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27519703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklinglabyrinth/pseuds/sparklinglabyrinth
Summary: In the midst of struggling with feeling like he no longer belongs by Sonic's side, Tails begins to see a strange bird no one else seems to be able to see. He begins to question what's real and what's not anymore.
Relationships: Amy Rose & Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna & Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	1. Presence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein

The jungle of Adabat is believed to be one of the most mysterious places on earth; for years scientist had come to the jungle to learn of the wonders it had to offer. Tails walks briskly in the thick of it, foliage crunching beneath his feet. He's sure if Sonic were here he'd protest that Tails should stay in the village where it's safe but currently the hedgehog was off chasing Eggman elsewhere. Tails couldn't help but be upset; Sonic hadn't even asked if he wanted to tag along. He supposes it makes sense, the hedgehog was so fast now Tails could hardly keep up with him anyway. Still it hurt to think there wasn't much he could do to help his hero.

Swallowing the lump in his throat he continues down the path he's on, watching the radar on the Miles Electric as it scans the area for energy signatures. One of the villagers had reported seeing something shiny in the jungle and Tails assumed it was most likely a Chaos Emerald. Wanting to be helpful he had entered the jungle in search of it even in the thick of night.

As he walks along his mind wanders back to his hedgehog friend. Lately Tails had just felt…. useless. No matter what he did to help his friend it never seemed to amount to anything. Sonic could take anything on by himself now it seemed, he didn't need Tails help. He couldn't seem to shake the idea that the hedgehog didn't really want him around anymore either.

_I guess it makes sense. Why would Sonic want to hang out with someone so useless?_

He's drawn away from his thoughts when a cold sensation washes over him making him shiver in response. For a second his mind feels cloudy and he squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to refocus. After a couple seconds the feeling disappears and he slowly reopens his eyes. He instantly notices fog looming around the trees.

_Was that there a second ago?_

He blinks a couple times to make sure he's not imagining things but the fogs still there.

_I guess I…. probably just didn't notice it before._

He hesitantly continues on his way trying to ignore the sudden chill in the air. He doesn't get much farther when the Miles Electric starts beeping frantically. The device displays an energy signature that appears to be an emerald not too far away from him.

Feeling hopeful Tails runs off in the direction the device indicates. The trees blur past him as he runs through the jungle paying hardly any attention to his surroundings, focusing on his goal. Tails is pretty sure he's almost there when the Miles Electric suddenly completely stops making noise. He looks over the device trying to figure out what's wrong. From what he can tell it appears to be completely glitching out opening multiple dialog boxes and fizzling occasionally with static. Before he gets a chance to figure out what's wrong something falls and lands on the ground nearby making him jump in alarm.

"Owwww crap!"

The fox stands stock-still unsure what to make of that. There's an odd tingling in the back of his mind and he can't help but think the voice sounds... familiar. He works up the courage to move and draws the foliage aside revealing a green bird sitting on the ground rubbing at his arm. Tails watches him curiously for a couple seconds before speaking.

"Um… hi?"

The bird looks up at him and pales as if Tails is a ghost or something.

"What?! Where did you come from?!"

Tails blinks curiously.

"What do you mean?"

The bird sends him an intense glare and Tails naturally shrinks back in response.

"You weren't here a minute ago! How did you find me? Is the hedgehog around?"

The bird frantically looks around while Tails tries to remember if Sonic had ever said anything about a green bird (that wasn't Jet anyway). He can't recall anything so he decides to ask.

"You know Sonic?"

The bird stops searching and pushes himself up off the ground getting in the fox's face.

"Of course I know Sonic freak! What kind of question is that!"

Tails flinches and backs away, deflating at the insult.

The bird seems perplexed by his behavior like Tails response to his insult is somehow unnatural. An awkward silence looms in the air and Tails fidgets trying to think of something to say.

"Um okay well... Sonic's off chasing Eggman right now but I can see if I can get in contact with him if you want?"

The bird simply looks even more confused.

"No. I don't care about him but… why are you acting so weird?"

"What… what do you mean?"

They continue to stare at each other until the bird breaks eye contact kicking at the ground.

"I don't know… you just aren't normally like this."

A chill runs down the fox's spine.

"You… you know me?"

The bird looks up at him in alarm.

"Of course I know you! You messed everything up for me and my Father, how could I forget?!"

Tails mind suddenly goes hazy and he gets a weird sense of deja vu. Like the flip of a lightswitch he suddenly knows exactly what the birds talking about. He knows the birds name, he remembers fighting him, and he remembers Sonic, Amy, Knuckles and all his friends but… not in the same way. Before he can make sense of what's happening it's gone. It's all gone and he doesn't remember any of it but the familiarity of it is still there. It's like he can still feel it somehow.

The bird is still in front of him looking just as confused as before. Tails stands in complete shock looking past him. In a sort of trance his mouth seems to move on its own.

"What's your name?"

He expects the bird to get angry again but instead he just looks concerned.

"Did you hit your head or something?"

"Please I need to know!"

 _It might help!_ _Maybe those memories will come back!_

The bird looks at him like he's crazy.

"Speedy! Don't you remember?"

Tails does remember, just not clearly. It's like the memories are locked behind a door he can't open. _I… I fought him. I managed to take his Father down by myself._

He wants to remember the details! He wants to remember all of it! It makes his heart ache and it hurts. It hurts so bad! His vision blurs with tears. Speedy notices, completely surprised.

"What's wrong? Why are you upset?"

Tails backs away shaking his head.

"I… I'm not sure."

Tails doesn't feel like himself. It's as if he's suddenly someone else and everything is jumbled up in his head.

"It hurts."

"What do you mean? What hurts?

"I don't know!"

Tails falls to the ground tears streaming down his cheeks. The jungle goes completely silent in response to his outburst. As he cries he temporarily forgets where he is until the bird shuffles over to him bringing him back to reality.

"Hey you're freaking me out! Just… just try to breathe okay."

Tails latches onto the words and comes back to himself attempting to even out his breathing. Speedy looks around again, preoccupying himself as he waits for the fox to calm down.

A couple minutes go by and Tails begins feeling normal again. Everything still feels hazy but it doesn't hurt at least. Speedy gives him his attention again still looking completely baffled.

"Uhhh you alright?"

Tails nods and moves into a sitting position occasionally sniffling and rubbing at his nose.

"You said you didn't know where Sonic was right?"

"Yeah… he left me behind. He doesn't need my help."

"Really?" He sounds genuinely surprised. "Is that why you were upset?"

Tails shakes his head. A lingering feeling of sadness seems to loom over him.

"No… I just…"

Why was he upset? It was as if his subconscious had completely taken control of him. He stares at the ground and tries to sort out his thoughts. Speedy fidgets unsettled by the silence.

"Ummm…well... can you tell me what you were doing out here before we ran into each other?"

The fox sniffles again squinting as he tries to remember.

"I…. I was…. I was looking for a Chaos Emerald. I wanted to be helpful..."

Speedy's eyes light up and he shifts and pulls something out of his pocket holding it out in front of him.

"I found it a couple minutes ago."

Tails stares at the emerald in awe. Speedy notices and seems to contemplate something before continuing.

"I was gonna bring it back to the Armada. But... I guess if it'll make you feel better you can have it. Just don't expect me to do this again!"

He pushes it in front of the fox forcefully without making eye contact, seemingly embarrassed. Tails briefly hesitates before allowing his mouth to turn up in a small smile.

"...thank you."

Shakily he reaches a hand out. Just as his fingers curl around the emerald the cold surrounding him vanishes and everything seems to change.

Tails sits up looking around in complete shock. The fog is completely gone and the jungle looks the same as it did before. He turns to address Speedy and his heart skips a beat when he realizes he's no longer there.

He looks down to the emerald still in his hand shimmering in the moonlight. Squeezing it he wills himself to remember the memories that had briefly consumed his mind before. _I… fought him. I… I can't remember!_

Looking off into the distance completely perplexed a feeling of grief consumes him. Moonlight peaks through the canopy of leaves above him and his eyes follow its glow. Staring up at the night sky he becomes aware of truly how vast the universe is, feeling small and alone.


	2. Presence

The events of the previous night haunt Tails' mind constantly over the next day. He's overwhelmed with questions that have no answer and naturally being a logical thinker it bothers him to no end. It doesn't help that no one else was around to confirm if what he experienced was even real or not. He had tried to ask the Adabat villagers if there had been any reports of ghosts lately but they had ignored his question busy with their own affairs. Emerald hunting temporarily forgotten he decides to head home in the hopes of sorting out his thoughts. As he approaches his workshop in the Tornado, he notices a pink figure standing by the door. He recognizes her right away and makes the plane go faster, worried something might be wrong. Only a minute later he lands the plane on the runway in front of his workshop.

"Tails! Is Sonic with you?"

Amy runs up beside him peeking at the plane for any sign of her hero.

"Sorry Amy. I'm not sure where Sonic is. All I know is he's off chasing Eggman somewhere."

"Really?!"

He nods pulling the white emerald out of the Tornado and hopping out of the pilot's seat to the ground. He turns the emerald over in his hands thinking back to the strange event from before as Amy continues.

"Huh? Well! We better go find him then!"

"Wha?"

Amy pushes past him and hops up into the passenger's seat.

"Let's go Tails! We gotta find Sonic so we can help!"

He has to admit her confidence is admirable. He looks back down at the emerald, feeling uncertain himself.

"...Do you really think he'll need our help?"

Her eyes widen in surprise at his question. "Of course Tails! Sonic can't do everything on his own so it's important we're there to help him! Now come on let's get going!"

He meets her gaze briefly noting the determination in her eyes. Without any further hesitation he flies into the pilot seat and starts the engine.

…&...

They're too late. They can only watch as Sonic finishes the job, beating Eggman easily without their help. Once it's all said and done Amy stomps towards Sonic obviously upset.

"Ugh! Next time you have to tell us when you're planning on chasing after Eggman! We could've helped y'know!"

The blue hedgehog rubs the back of his head and backs away from her.

"Sorry Amy... I guess I got carried away. I'll make sure to let you guys know next time. I promise!"

She points a finger at him aggressively, "You better!"

Tails ears flatten in disappointment as he looks down at the Chaos Emeralds he and Amy had managed to gather in his arms. Not even the Emeralds got a chance to help anymore.

…&...

A couple days later he sits in front of a campfire on Angel Island, after Sonic and him had decided to visit their echidna friend. Sonic excitedly tells Knuckles about his fight against Eggman while Tails keeps his gaze on the flames dancing in front of him. As Sonic tells Knuckles all about his adventure Tails wonders again why Sonic had left him behind. His mind answers back with taunting answers like it's because he's a nuisance or because he's not useful. As the thoughts pepper his mind tears build up in his eyes and he quickly wipes them away, hoping his companions didn't notice.

"It was awesome Knux! You should've been there!"

The echidna scoffs. "It sounds like you were able to handle it just fine without me. I've got better things to do than play sidekick. I have to guard-"

"The Master Emerald! I know I know! But it might be good for you to get off this island more often y'know? You've always been a stick in the mud but lately you've been even more of a stick in the mud."

"I am not a stick in the mud! I just don't have time for your silly antics!"

As the two bicker Tails can't shake Knuckles sidekick comment. A lump forms in his throat and his eyes water with tear again.

No.. don't cry Tails! Come on!

Realizing he's only making himself more upset trying to hide it, he abruptly stands up and both Sonic and Knuckles stop their bickering giving him their attention.

"Hey bro… something up?"

Tails forces the lump in his throat down. "No Sonic I'm fine. I just need to check on something… with the Tornado. I'll be back in a minute!"

Sending them the best smile he can muster he runs off into the jungle.

About five minutes later he arrives at the Tornado and flies into the pilot seat making himself comfortable. It's quiet aside from the birds in the trees and he focuses his mind on their chirps rather than his thoughts. Once he's feeling more composed he leans back and looks up at the night sky, letting his mind wander. He thinks back to the day Sonic had first taught him how to pilot the Tornado. The second he sat down in the pilot's seat he had felt comfortable, like it was home. Flying in the air had felt just as comfortable and easy. He can remember Sonics words of praise clearly.

"Wow! You're a natural Tails! It took me forever to learn how to work this thing!"

His mouth curves up into a smile. It had been one of the first times he had felt like he really belonged somewhere, like he wasn't just a worthless orphan like the bullies said. Comforted by the memory he relaxes and rolls over on his side, letting his eyes shut momentarily.

Everything is peaceful until a chill settles in the air. Confused by the sudden drop in temperature he opens his eyes again. From what he can tell nothing seems out of the ordinary. Realizing he should probably head back he gets up into a sitting position when his ears flick at a sound nearby.

"...yeah…."

Was that Sonic? Sitting up straighter he perks his ears up at attention, listening closely.

"...almost there…"

Realizing that's definitely not Sonic or Knuckles he flies out of the cockpit and quietly makes his way over to where he hears the sound. He slows down as he approaches it and crouches behind a bush peeking up at the figure.

"No… I didn't see anyone."

I know that voice. He tries to get another look at the figure without being seen. Once he finally does he recognizes him right away and his heart skips a beat in alarm. It's that bird from before! He's frozen in shock as he watches the bird speak into a communicator in his hands.

"Look I'll find it okay!"

Tails quickly deciphers his conversation and realizes he's most likely talking about the Master Emerald. Knowing he has to warn Knuckles he slowly backs away. Unfortunately as he takes a step back his foot lands on a branch and it makes an audible crack.

"Yeah I-"

The second the branch snaps the bird spins around and Tails looks up in panic causing their eyes to meet for a brief second. Not sure what the birds going to do Tails turns and bolts away from him intending to run back to his companions.

"Hey! Stop!"

Ignoring him he continues forward dodging trees and obstacles. It's only when he hears leaves rustle behind him that he looks over his shoulder and sees the bird chasing him. Panicked he spins his tails faster.

"You're not fast enough! Just stop!"

Ignoring him he continues forward for a little while longer when he starts feeling his tails cramp. It'd been so long since the last time the fox had run like this he was hardly use to it. Feeling discouraged and fatigued he slows down, unintentionally giving the bird an opening.

"Stop!" Speedy leaps for him and Tails can only watch in horror as they collide and fall to the ground.

Skidding on the ground a ways Tails ends up feeling dizzy and winded. Speedy doesn't have the same problem though and gets up only seconds later marching over to him.

"What are you doing here?! Where'd you come from?!"

Tails still feels winded and he fights to get his breathing under control rather than respond. Speedy watches him looking somewhat confused, narrowing his eyes like he's trying to figure something out. As the bird continues to watch him Tails shakily gets to his feet.

"You're… you're not…" Speedys eyes widen and his feathers seem to pale. He takes a step away from the fox as Tails finally composes himself.

"Oh Babylon... I'm going crazy!"

He abruptly turns around and starts walking away. Confused, Tails stumbles after him.

"Wait!"

The bird continues, completely ignoring him even as Tails follows behind him. Wanting answers Tails runs in front of him causing the bird to jump back in surprise.

"Hey!"

"Tell me why you're here!"

"No way! You're just some dumb illusion!"

He shoves past him knocking Tails out of the way. Nearly falling over Tails manages to regain his footing and yells back at him.

"I'm not an illusion!"

Speedy stops and spins around on his heels.

"Oh yeah? Then why'd you just disappear the last time we met?"

"What?! You were the one who disappear-!"

A flock of birds takes off from a group of trees nearby causing both of them to look away in alarm. Tails watches the trees nervously, waiting for something to come out of them. When the jungle goes quiet again Tails looks back towards Speedy but no ones there. Shocked, he whips his head around searching for any sign of him.

"Tails!"

The fox turns around, recognizing his friends voice right away.

"Sonic?"

"Tails! Where are you?"

"I'm here!"

A sudden burst of wind almost knocks him over and then Sonics standing in front of him.

"Tails! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Mind still reeling it takes him a moment to process the hedgehogs words.

"…what do you mean?"

"You've been gone for an hour Tails! Me and Knuckles got worried and went to find you."

What… How…. But I...

He shakes his head, "That doesn't matter! I think he's after the Master Emerald!"

Sonic narrows his eyes. "Who?"

Tails hops into the air spinning his tails behind him.

"Come on! We have to hurry!"

Flying forward he motions for Sonic to follow him and flies ahead through the jungle heading towards the shrine. As he begins to feel tired again he finally sees the shrine approaching and pushes himself to go faster. Bursting out of the jungle he looks towards the the shrine. The Master Emerald sits at the top, glowing against the darkness. The fox continues looking around searching for any sign of Speedy.

Sonic bursts out of the jungle after him, fists up prepared for a fight. When he notices Tails is the only other person around he relaxes and walks over to his friend.

"You sure you saw someone Tails?"

Rather than respond the fox walks up to the top of the shrine and searches around. While he's preoccupied Knuckles runs out of the jungle and next to Sonic.

"Oh good you found him! What's going on?"

Sonic turns to Knuckles worry evident on his face. "Tails said he saw someone."

Knuckles gapes in terror. "What! Where? I didn't hear anything!"

Sonic frowns, turning to calm his friend. "I don't Knux. I didn't hear or see anything either."

No matter where Tails looks he can't find any sign anyone was here. Wondering if the bird hid somewhere he's about to fly back into the jungle when Sonic's voice stops him.

"Tails?"

Tails looks back towards Sonic giving the hedgehog his attention.

"You sure you saw something?"

Tails flies down to the bottom of the shrine landing next to his friends, nodding in response to the hedgehogs question. Knuckles crosses his arms exchanging a look with Sonic.

Sonic shrugs and turns back to Tails. "Well Tails… are you sure it wasn't just a trick of the light?"

Tails shakes his head. "No Sonic! I talked to him! He's gotta be around here somewhere!"

Again Sonic and Knuckles exchange glances seemingly having a silent conversation. Focusing on the fox again Sonic walks around him and wraps an arm around his shoulder.

"I'm sure it's okay Tails. Why don't we head back to the fire. When we get back we can roast marshmallows! Sound good?"

He sends Tails a reassuring smile but for once it doesn't make the fox feel any better.

…&...

While Sonic snores away later that night, Tails can't seem to fall asleep. He wonders if everything he'd seen before was somehow his imagination. Worried for the Emeralds safety Knuckles eventually had asked Sonic to do a quick run around the island but the hedgehog had returned without finding anything. There weren't any other signs of anything suspicious the rest of the evening either. It really did seem like Speedy was never there to begin with. Tails can't help but think maybe he was going crazy.

"You sure you're okay Tails?"

The fox rolls over so he's facing Knuckles who sits by the fire poking at it with a stick. Tails sits up and glances over towards Sonic who continues snoring away oblivious to his friends conversation.

"Yeah… I just can't sleep."

Knuckles thinks for a moment, searching for something to say.

"It's okay Tails. If anyone's around I'll know."

While that doesn't make Tails feel any better he does appreciate the thought.

"Thanks Knuckles."

He sends the echidna a small smile of gratitude. Knuckles smiles back but it falters almost right away.

"Tails… look... I'm sorry if something I said earlier upset you."

Tails is genuinely surprised to hear him say that, he didn't think Sonic or Knuckles had noticed he was upset earlier. It was also uncommon for Knuckles to apologize so willingly, it made him wonder if the echidna had felt guilty this whole time even though Tails was never really upset with him.

"It's okay Knuckles. You didn't upset me. I was... more upset with myself."

The echidna seems to relax again but he still looks puzzled. "Really? Why?"

Tails fidgets. "Umm… it's not important. I think I can sleep now. Goodnight Knuckles!"

The fox quickly turns over and lies back down hoping Knuckles lets it go. He hears the echidna mumble something to himself but he doesn't investigate the fox's odd behavior further and Tails slowly drifts to sleep.


	3. Substance

The second Tails arrives home he coops himself up in his workshop researching as much as he can about the past two incidents. He's not really sure where to even start though and his research ends up leading him to studies on ghosts. As Tails reads ghost story after story he becomes even more freaked out and paranoid, but he can't seem to bring himself to stop searching for some kind of answer. He wonders if he's maybe being haunted by the bird's ghost for some reason. But then what was all that stuff about when he acted like he knew me before? And when he said I beat him and his Father?

Around three o'clock Sonic pokes his head into the room, watching his younger friend work at the computer.

"Tails?"

The fox manages to pry his eyes away from the screen, turning to the hedgehog. Sonic smiles and walks into the room now that he has the fox's attention.

"Hey bro. You almost done with your work?"

Tails nods as the hedgehog looks past him at the computer.

"What were you doing anyway?"

"It… it's nothing."

Sonic steps closer attempting to make out the words on the screen. Tails quickly stands up blocking his view.

"Um... I'm pretty hungry Sonic. You wanna go out for chili dogs?"

Sonic eyes light up when he says chili dogs and he looks away from the screen. "Of course I'm always down for chili dogs! Come on I'll run us there!"

Tails laughs as Sonic hops back and forth on his feet like a little kid.

"Hold on. I gotta get a jacket first Sonic."

Tails walks towards the door that enters the rest of the house as Sonic calls teasingly after him. "Alright but you better hurry or I'll leave without you!"

...&...

Sonic excitedly tells him about something ridiculous Vector did the other day as they eat their chili dogs sitting on a park bench. Temporarily forgetting about everything else going on Tails happily listens to his friend. It's rare they get to hang out like this after all, Sonic always seems so busy these days.

"Sonic!"

Sonic jumps at the feminine voice getting to his feet. Amy appears only a second later, running towards them at an impressive speed.

"Uhh sorry Tails! Gotta go!"

Shoving the rest of his chili dog in his mouth, Sonic takes off. Amy calls out to him as she runs up next to Tails but the hedgehogs already too far away to hear.

"Nooo! Sonic!"

She watches as her crush vanishes in the distance leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"Why do I even bother…" She heaves out a sigh and sags in disappointment.

Tails manages to catch what she says and sends her a sympathetic look.

"Sorry… about Sonic. I don't think he means to upset you Amy."

Amy nods but her heart doesn't seem to be completely in it. "It's okay Tails. I'm used to it by now."

She turns to him and her disappointment vanishes replaced by a smile.

"I was gonna ask if Sonic wanted to hang out tomorrow. But obviously he's not interested! So how about me and you hang out instead!"

Tails blushes slightly. "Uhhh Amy you don't mean-"

"It's not a date silly! I mean if I was with Sonic it be a date but since it's with you it's not a date."

Tails smiles in relief even if her logics a bit weird. He had been planning to try and figure out more about the strange things happening to him tomorrow though. "I guess I could go... "

She looks confused at the fox's lackluster response. "Something wrong Tails?"

"It's...it's nothing. I'd be happy to hang out with you! What time should we meet?"

She looks at him curiously before smiling and beginning to walk away, "I'll meet you at your house at eleven tomorrow! You better remember!"

She completely turns away and runs off. He watches her run off before his eyes wander over to the kids at the playground close by, laughing and chasing each other. Deciding he's full he gets up throws the rest of his chili dog in the trash and walks toward the beach.

Tails had always liked the ocean, so he thinks a walk on the beach might help him clear his mind. Unlike Sonic he found the sound of the waves relaxing. He couldn't blame Sonic for disliking the ocean though, not being able to swim and all. As he approaches the shoreline he gets a sensation of deja vu but he can't quite pinpoint why.

Once he's near the edge of the sand he stops and looks out over the waves, contemplating rather mundane things like what he'll do when he gets home. A chill runs down his spine and the fox is instantly alert. This had happened enough times before that Tails recognizes the pattern and glances around nervously. From what he can tell nothing seems to have drastically changed though. Standing perfectly still he counts out a minute before he lets himself relax. Still wary he slowly moves to continue walking down the beach.

"This is the third time this has happened y'know."

Tails jumps into the air letting out an embarrassing squeak. Once he's back on the ground he spins around towards the figure behind him who's currently laughing at him. He's not surprised it's the bird from before.

"St...Stop laughing!"

Speedy doesn't listen speaking around his laughter. "You sounded like a mouse!"

Embarrassed, Tails tries to change the subject. "What did you do last night on Angel Island?!"

The bird finally gets a hold of himself catching his breath. "Nothing you should be worried about."

The fox grinds his teeth together annoyed with the lame response.

"Why did you just disappear then? Are you a ghost?"

Speedy eyes widen in shock. "A ghost?! I'm not a ghost but maybe you are since you were the one who disappeared!"

Tails' eyes narrow as he ponders the birds words. He wonders if it was possible that they somehow disappeared for each other.

"… maybe we both disappeared." He speaks out aloud.

Speedy slowly back off in response to Tails statement and crosses his arms in thought.

"Well I'm not a ghost. Are you?"

Tails shakes his head. "And I'm not an illusion either."

Speedy watches him skeptically. "Well then what is going on?"

Tails frowns. "I'm not sure but… I think the only way we're going to figure this out is if we work together."

Tails holds his arm out for a truce handshake (he also wants to double check the bird isn't a ghost). Speedy remains still for a moment longer thinking it over.

"I don't think my Father'd be very happy if he knew about this."

Tails blinks, not sure what he's talking about. Something about the bird's words feel familiar though and he fights to remember why.

"Umm… your Father?"

Speedy shakes his head and reaches his own hand out. Tails will admit he's relieved his hand doesn't faze through his own. He supposes that confirms the bird wasn't lying earlier as well. He smiles to himself feeling at least a little more comfortable with this whole… thing.

"Hey Tails!"

The fox pulls his hand away and looks in another direction when he hears the sound of Sonic's voice. He spots the hedgehog running up the beach towards him, stirring up sand behind him. He turns his head back towards the bird only to find the spot where he'd been is empty. He gapes whipping his head around searching for any sign of him. Sonic runs up beside him a moment later.

"Hi bro! Sorry about running off on you earlier."

"Sonic! Did you see him?!"

Sonic cocks his head to the side, furrowing his brow.

"See who?"

"The person I was just talking to!"

The hedgehog continues to stare at him concerned.

"I didn't see anyone."

"But… but he was right here! This time you had to have seen him! He was right in front of me but he disappeared again!"

Sonic follows the fox's gaze but he can't recall seeing anyone else around. In fact the had been fox standing there by himself, staring off into space.

"No Tails… you were alone."

Tails eyes widen and he looks toward the area Speedy had been seconds before. "No… he was right here! I know what I saw! He wasn't a ghost or anything Sonic he was real!"

The hedgehog backs away at Tails outburst unsure of what to say. Tails looks down feeling self conscious and lost.

"He was… he was right here…"

A tense silence settles between them as Tails continues to watch the sand beneath his feet. Eventually Sonic steps forward placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you might need to lie down kiddo. Let me run you home okay?"

Tails doesn't respond as Sonic lifts him up bridal style and whisks him away, the ocean blurring as they leave it behind.


	4. Illusion

_Tails pants in fatigue as he climbs up the mountain. The small robot dog he'd created barks excitedly running past him. As the fox follows after the robot, he notices something shiny on the ground not too far away. T-Pup spots it as well and yips in excitement, running to pick it up. He's about to follow after T-Pup with the intention of taking the emerald and placing it with the others in his backpack, when his ears perk at a sudden noise._

" _T-Pup! Watch out!"_

_The robot lifts his head in alert before activating the helicopter Tails installed and flying out of the way. He barely manages to dodge the figure that lands where he was moments before. T-Pup returns to its creators side and Tails readies an explosive. The figure, who appears to be a green bird, turns and smirks at the fox as he tosses the emerald up and down in his hand._

" _Y'know you've got a lot of nerve, freak! Taking on a whole army by yourself." T-Pup growls behind Tails in response as the bird continues. "It was nice of you to lead me to the emerald though."_

_Tails eyes widen in horror._

" _What?! But you… you were following me!"_

_The bird laughs, mocking him._

_Tails glares. "You won't get away with this!"_

_The bird lifts into the air a playful gleam in his eye._

" _I'm pretty sure I already have. Unless... you think you can catch me!"_

_Without giving Tails a chance to respond he takes off into the air. Tails doesn't waste any time, flying after him only a second later. Using his unique flying ability Tails is easily able to catch up to him and attempts to reach a hand out to grab him. His opponent notices eyes widening in complete shock._

" _How…?"_

_The bird quickly composes himself, appearing confident again. "You're faster than you look! But there's no way I'm gonna let some freak catch me! You shouldn't even be able to fly!"_

_His words sting a little and Tails does his best to ignore it. The bird shoots off in a different direction and Tails follows hot on his trail. As they continue their chase the bird goes into a small hole between two rocky cliff faces. Tails follows after him only a second or so after. As he enters the small cave-like passageway there's suddenly wind pushing against him and Tails fights to stay in the air. The wind stings his eyes and it's hard for him to breath causing him to briefly panic._

' _I can't…. I can't breath! I can't do this alone! I-'_

" _Giving up?"_

_The birds taunting voice interrupts his thoughts making him aware of his surroundings again. Refocusing he manages to take a breath, calming his racing heart._

' _Calm down. I can do this! I have to do this!'_

_Willing his tails to spin faster he manages to fly against the current. He can't go as fast as before now that the currents in the way but his opponent appears to be having the same problem. He realizes if he just goes a little bit faster he should be able to catch up with him. Sucking in another breath he propels himself upward at a faster rate even though it makes his tails cramp and his side ache in fatigue._

' _Come on! Come on!'_

_Tails spots a tunnel of light not too far ahead that his opponent exits through leaving him behind. Using that as motivation he does a final push towards the exit ignoring the hammering of his heartbeat and his aching tails. The current disappears around him the second he's out of the cave and he blasts forward. Relieved he's free he doesn't realize how fast he's going until he runs right into his opponent and they both end up falling towards the ground._

_Tails manages to come to his senses just in time spinning his tails and slowing their fall enough that they don't end up seriously hurt. It's not enough to stop their descent however and they both hit the ground hard, tumbling against the dirt before finally skidding to a stop. Dizzy and winded, Tails attempts to get up but the bird shoves him roughly off of him before he can even move. The bird stands to his feet not even glancing at him as he turns to walk away. Still dazed, Tails watches as he stumbles away. Tails pushes himself to his knees fighting the dizziness._

" _Wait…no..." Out of breath it comes out as barely a whisper._

_The bird catches it though and stops, muttering something to himself. Slowly he turns around to face him again._

" _...You're pretty good I guess…. here." He tosses the emerald to the ground in front of the fox. Tails looks at it noting its white coloring before looking up at his enemy. The bird looks away flustered and takes off into the sky leaving Tails and T-Pup alone again._

_Standing up fully Tails walks over and picks up the emerald. A happy feeling overwhelms him and he smiles down excitedly at his robot companion._

" _I did it! I beat him all by myself T-Pup!"_

_The robo-dog yips happily for its owner. Tails looks at the emerald in his hands, an accomplished smile still adorned on his face._

* * *

Tails ears flick as he's forced awake by the obnoxious sound of his alarm. He reaches a hand out blindly fumbling for the snooze button. Eventually he finds it and slams his hand against it. He snuggles further into the bed sheets hoping he can fall back asleep and continue dreaming. Barely a minute goes by before there's a knock on the door.

"Hey Tails! You awake?"

The fox groans at Sonic's voice.

"No!"

"Tails..."

Heaving out a breath the fox gets out of bed and walks over to his bedroom door. He opens it to reveal Sonic holding a tray of food in his hands.

"You hungry?" Sonic holds the tray out for him to look at.

The fox scans over it; there's a bowl of cereal, an apple and even some mint candy. Tails smiles at the gesture but after what had happened yesterday he still wasn't feeling that interested in eating.

"Thanks Sonic. I'm still feeling a bit weird though. I'll try and eat it later."

Sonic accepts his answer walking into the room and placing the tray on the nightstand. He turns back around and faces Tails concern shining in his eyes.

"Alright…" Sonic watches him carefully before continuing. "...I think I'm gonna go visit Knuckles. You wanna come with me?"

Tails can tell there's more to his visit with Knuckles than he's letting on. Nonetheless he doesn't ask about it. "No uhh… if it's okay I think I just wanna relax for awhile longer."

Sonic smiles softly, "Okay…feel better soon bro." He reaches a hand out and ruffles the fox's bangs, sending the fox one last smile as he walks out of the room.

Tails waits until the hedgehogs made it down the stairs before closing the door and walking over to the bed. Lying back down he stares up at the ceiling watching the fan spin. His mind wanders to the events of yesterday evening that still leave him perplexed and confused.

_I swear it seemed so real…_

He sighs at a complete loss. _Maybe he was a ghost after all._ _But wouldn't Sonic have seen him if that was the case?_ Turning on to his side he stares at the mints Sonic had brought for him.

 _And what was up with that dream?_ His ears droop and he looks to the floor. _What if… I really am going crazy?_

He halts his thoughts before he starts making himself upset. _Stop being a baby! If this was happening to Sonic he wouldn't get upset!_ Sighing he pushes himself back into a sitting position warily looking at the food Sonic had brought him. He's not hungry but he knows he should eat something. He decides to try eating the apple taking small bites out of it. He's only managed to eat about a quarter of it when he hears the sound of muffled knocking coming from downstairs. Thinking it's probably just a mail delivery, he ignores it and continues chewing on his apple. Another minute goes by and the knocking persists. Pushing himself off the bed he groggily walks into the hall and down the stairs. He makes his way over to the door, reaching out to open it when a thought stalls him.

_What if… what if this isn't real? What if it's him again!_

He narrows his eyes searching for any hint that what's happening isn't real. Was it really possible his mind was making everything up? And if that was the case how would he be able to tell what was real? The knocking only continues to get louder and more persistent. Shaking his head he reaches out and grabs the lock for the door. _It's nothing... you're overreacting._ Turning the lock he pulls the door open. Instead of the bird from before Amy stands on the other side, all smiles.

"Hey Tails! You ready to go?"

Still getting over his earlier paranoia, he can't recall what she's talking about.

"Ready to go where Amy?"

She rolls her eyes. "You said we could hang out today, remember?"

_Oh…. Oh!_

"R-right. Sorry Amy. Guess I forgot..."

"It's alright. I had a feeling you would. Anyway we better get going!"

She grabs his arm and drags him out the door before he can get a word in otherwise.

Days like this are what Knuckles lives for. It's warm and sunny with a light breeze and quiet enough that he can hear birds chirping nearby. The Master Emerald sits perched in the altar behind him glowing especially bright today as if sensing the peaceful atmosphere. He can't help but smile, for once everything seems right in the world. That is until Sonic zips up to him, causing the trees to rustle and the birds to fly away letting out annoying squeaks as they ascend towards the sky.

"Would it kill you to slow down for once Sonic?!"

"I need help Knuckles! Something's up with Tails!"

Knuckles' angry expression vanishes and his face softens drastically. Sonic takes his concerned expression as a sign to continue and begins pacing as he explains.

"Yesterday afternoon we went out to get some chili dogs. We decided to eat in the park when Amy showed up and I ran away because… well… you know. Anyway when I came back Tails was on the beach just standing there by himself. When I ran up to him he started acting really weird. I asked him what was up and he asked me if I'd seen the person he was talking to. But that's the thing Knux there was no one there! Even while I was running up to meet him no one was there! He kind of freaked out and said that the person he was talking to wasn't a ghost and just… I'm just not sure what to think. When I took him home he went straight to bed and he hardly talked to me this morning."

Sonic sits down next to the echidna on the top step of the shrine, staring down at his feet.

"I don't know what's going on with him…"

It takes Knuckles a second to completely absorb everything he said. Once he does he's still at a loss for words.

"Well…... you're sure there was no one there?"

"Positive."

Knuckles thinks it over remembering how Tails had acted two days ago when they had spent the night on Angel Island.

"Sonic…I'm not a doctor or anything but maybe Tails is just overwhelmed. I don't think he's been feeling too good about himself lately."

The hedgehog frowns and his brow furrows.

"What d'you mean?"

"I don't know...he seemed kind of upset when you were talking about your last adventure that night by the fire …maybe he felt left out. I know you don't want him to get hurt Sonic, but I don't think leaving him behind makes him feel very good."

Silence settles between them and Sonic continues staring intensely at Knuckles. Naturally the echidna looks away.

"I mean like I said I'm not an expert but that's what I think!"

Sonic finally looks away staring out in front of him. "Now that you mention it he has seemed pretty down lately."

The island is perfectly quiet again as the hedgehog gets lost in thought. Knuckles watches as the birds from earlier return scattering in the trees. It's nice but weird. Sonic's never this still or quiet and the echidna has the urge to fill the silence.

"It might be best if you try talking to him about everything… about how he's feeling."

Sonic nods. "Yeah…"

Sonic goes unusually quiet again. Knuckles has to admit he definitely prefers talkative Sonic to eerily quiet Sonic.

Finally the hedgehog speaks again easing the tension. "But Knuckles what if… what he's seeing isn't all in his head?"

Knuckles knows the answer to that. "You won't know for sure unless you talk to him."

Sonic smiles a little and stands up. "Yeah I guess you're right. Thanks Knux! It's just so weird… before I went after Eggman he seemed fine. "

Knuckles nods in understanding. "Well I hope it gets better…. Let me know if there's any way I can help."

Sonic smiles gratefully as he begins walking down the steps. "I will! Thanks again Knuckles!"

Sonic dashes off causing the trees to shake in his wake again. Knuckles doesn't mind too much this time, the disturbance is nice every once in a while. Keeps him on his toes.

* * *

Tails should've known Amy's idea of hanging out would be shopping. He supposed he couldn't complain, it was nice to get his mind off of things. Sitting in the shoe store as Amy looks around he finds he likes how casual it is. It makes things feel normal.

"What do you think about these, Tails?"

He looks over at her as she displays the new pair of boots she's trying on.

"They look nice Amy."

She crosses her arms. "You've said that about all of them!"

A little nervous at her angry tone he quickly responds, "Um well I mean uhh… they just all look really good on you!"

She looks down at the shoes she's wearing inspecting them. When she looks back up she smiles in excitement.

"Aw you really think so? Do you think Sonic would like them?"

He nods returning her smile. "Sure! Sonic loves shoes! That's why he always gets so fussy when they're dirty."

Her eyes light up with a mischievous twinkle at his words.

"Then that's how I'll win his heart! I'll find the perfect pair of shoes!"

She runs down the shoe aisle in search of more shoes to try on. Tails smiles at her antics watching her run off when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye.

He looks out the window and notes the hardware store across the street. _Wasn't that a jewelry store last week?_ Inspecting the store further he pales when he sees a familiar figure walk out of it carrying a shopping bag.

He blinks a couple times trying to make the familiar bird disappear. _It's just your imagination. It's not real._ When he doesn't disappear he forces himself to look away. _It's not real… it's not…_ He whips his head around staring out the window in shock. _He bought something! That means one of the employees must have seen him!_

Jumping to his feet he runs out of the store. Once he's outside he makes his way across the street and enters the store. As he glances around he becomes aware of how empty it is unlike the bustling stores nearby.

"Hello! Can I help you sir?"

An anthropomorphic sheep walks down one of the aisles towards him.

"Um yeah. Did you see a green bird in here?"

"Yep! You missed him though. He just left."

A smile spreads across his face. _It's real! It has to be! Someone else saw him!_ _Maybe Amy can see him too!_

Tails turns around and heads back towards the entrance. He halts briefly spinning around and shouting a quick thank you, before bolting out the door.

Tails races down the sidewalk looking around for any sign of Speedy. The streets aren't as crowded as they could be but it still requires some effort. He's not sure how long it's been when he finally sees the bird farther away than he expected sitting on the park bench he and Sonic had eaten chili dogs at yesterday. Intending to prove what he'd been seeing was real he runs towards the park.

"Hey!"

Speedy must recognize his voice because he tears his aways from the shopping bag he'd been looking through. Tails runs up next to him a second later, supporting himself on his knees as he catches his breath. Speedy is obviously surprised by his abrupt appearance, glancing around as other people roam the park.

"Um… hi?"

"You… that guy in the store saw you."

"Uh... yeah?"

"That means this has to be real! I'm not seeing things!"

"Right… I thought we already figured that out."

Tails stands up looking sadly towards the ground.

"I… I thought so too but then Sonic said he didn't see you at all yesterday."

"Sonic?"

Tails nods. "He ran up to me after we agreed to work together. When I looked back you were gone and… he said he never saw you. He said I was the only one there the whole time."

Just thinking about it makes Tails doubt what he's seeing, even if he has proof. Everything that had happened before seemed so real. How had Sonic not seen it?

Speedy seems more confident about the whole thing. "Well…. well maybe Sonic needs to get his eyes checked."

Tails smiles a little at the comment. He wished it was that simple. "I do have some proof now at least. That's why I was thinking if… well… I came here shopping with Amy. If she sees you then Sonic has to believe me! So I was wondering if you'd come back with me so we could meet her."

Speedy seems to contemplate his answer before turning his head away. "No way!"

"What! Why not?!"

He wiggles the shopping bag in the air. "My dad told me to pick this up and bring it back to Dr. Fukurokov in an hour and it's already been half an hour since I left. So I don't have time."

Tails can't help but glare at him. He didn't exactly know what Speedy was talking about but was it really more important than figuring out what was going on?

Speedy completely faces Tails again with a playful gleam in his eye. "Unless we race there."

Tails anger vanishes replaced by confusion. Sonic always seemed to be asked to a race, normally by Jet or Shadow. In comparison Tails never was. It made sense, he wasn't as fast as Sonic or as outgoing so he found it odd Speedy would want to. Did he really fight him previously and win? He briefly thinks back to the dream he'd had last night. _I wonder..._

Tails is pulled out of his thoughts when Speedy stands up, arms crossed smirking at him.

"So we gonna race?"

Tails really doesn't have a choice, Speedy won't come with him if he doesn't.

"Okay. Amy should still be in the shoe store by Chip Boulevard. But we should probably-"

Speedy flies past him nearly knocking him over briefly stopping to shout at him.

"You better hurry up or you'll lose!"

Dumbstruck, Tails watches as Speedy blasts off towards the shopping area.

Shaking his head he chases after him. As Tails races down the street he takes his time dodging shoppers even if it slows him down. Even though he's pretty far behind he doesn't really care who wins as long as Amy sees Speedy it doesn't matter. Speedy's not too happy about it though and slows down considerably to talk to him.

"C'mon you're not even trying!"

Tails eyes narrow in annoyance choosing not to respond.

Speedy scoffs. "Fine! Don't try! But if you don't catch me I won't help you."

Blasting ahead of him Tails panics and moves faster. He nearly runs into a couple shoppers yelling back apologizes. Slowly he gets the hang of dodging obstacles again and races up next to his opponent.

"I thought you agreed to help me!"

Speedy glances behind him briefly meeting Tails' gaze. Rather than respond he speeds up leaving Tails behind.

"Hey!"

He spins his tails even faster accelerating forward. As he nears his opponent again his tails start to cramp. Thinking back to his dream he fights the urge to stop and continues forward at the same pace.

Slowly he approaches Speedy who nearly runs into a shopper and ends up slowing down. Tails sees his chance and flies up beside the bird. Speedy catches sight of him and does a double take.

In a weird way Tails is actually kind of enjoying himself. Sonic was so fast now he never really raced him anymore but Tails did miss it. He smiles and sticks his tongue out, a rare display of childishness. Speedy eyes widen shocked at the fox's change in behavior before sticking his own tongue out at him.

"Tails!"

Tails looks ahead of him far too late and runs right into Amy, falling to the ground and taking her with him.

Almost half a minute later Tails slowly gets up rubbing at where Amy and him bonked heads.

He hears Amy's voice not too far away. "Owww… Tails! What the heck were you doing?!"

He slowly stands up remembering why he'd agreed to race Speedy.

"Amy! I need you to-"

He looks around but Speedy's not anywhere to be seen. _No! Where is he? Did he disappear? Or maybe...did he keep going?_

Tails intends to run after him and see when Amy grabs his arm.

"Tails where are you going?!"

"Amy! You saw a green bird right?

Amy looks deeply confused. "No Tails. Where have you been this whole time?"

Tails freezes. "But… he was right next to me!"

Amy frowns. "...I didn't see anyone else. Just you."

Tails knows he was right next to him when he ran into Amy. There was no way she wouldn't have been able to see him.

"Tails? Are you okay?"

He thinks back to before remembering the employee he had talked to.

"That guy in the store! He saw him! C'mon!"

He runs past her towards the shop. As he runs he hears her call out his name and a moment later he hears her feet running after him. As he continues down the street he sees the shop ahead and his heart plummets. Instead of the hardware store the building is now a jewelry store like it was the week before.

He stands paralyzed unable to pull his eyes away from the sign. A chill runs down his spine and he feels sick to his stomach. Amy runs up next to him following his terrified gaze.

"Amy…. that was a hardware store a minute ago…. wasn't it?"

"I don't think so... It's always been a jewelry store."

Tails heart sinks.

"Are you sure you're okay Tails? Maybe we should head back home?"

In a trancelike state he only nods. He feels Amy grab his arm a second later as she pulls him away.

* * *

When Sonic gets home Tails is nowhere to be found. Assuming he went to run some errands or visit someone he decides to wait until the fox gets home to talk to him. Still he can't help but be a little worried. To distract himself he makes himself comfortable on the couch and tries to find something interesting to watch. Finally he finds a channel showing a comedy movie that captures his attention until the door opens and Amy and Tails walk in.

"Hey guys! Where you been?"

Amy doesn't respond like she usually would, instead sending him a worried look. Tails won't even met his gaze, turning away from both of them.

"I… I need to be alone for awhile. Thanks for… for taking me home, Amy."

Tails runs up the stairs in a hurry. Sonic reaches out to him but recoils when he notices how upset he looks. Moments later the fox is upstairs and he hears the door click shut behind him. He briefly squeezes his hands into fists before turning and facing his other friend.

"Amy, what happened?"

She looks to the ground eyes.

"I'm... I'm not really sure. I was shoe shopping when he ran off. I looked for him everywhere and when I finally found him he was acting really weird… He asked me if I saw someone. When I told him I didn't he ran off towards a store but when we got there he completely froze... He seemed really confused, Sonic."

Sonic narrows his eyes remembering how Tails had acted yesterday. What had happened today sounded vastly similar.

Amy shakes her head. "It was all really odd." She looks up the stairs. "I just hope he's okay."

Sonic looks upstairs as well. Sonic sends her the most reassuring smile he can muster.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's okay! Thanks for taking him home by the way. I don't know what we'd do without you, Amy!"

She blushes and smiles shyly at the praise.

"Aw well it was the least I could do… still….let me know if there's anything else I can do to help, okay?"

Sonic nods. She smiles at him a little longer before walking towards the door. Once she walks out onto the path leading away from the house he gives her a final goodbye and closes it slowly behind her. Shutting the door with a click he heaves out a sigh, looking back up towards the top of the stairs.


	5. Hallucination

_The hall he enters is dark, with wires and lights casting eerie glows along the walls. Foxes are supposedly nocturnal animals but Tails has always hated the dark; it reminds him of when he was younger sleeping in cold dark caves by himself. T-Pup walks happily beside him oblivious to the intimidating atmosphere. Eventually the hall leads to a large open room. Tails carefully steps in and notices what appears to be a large computer at the back of the room. His curiosity peaks and he walks up to it inspecting the screen. From what he can tell there's blueprints for some kind of armored suit on the screen._

" _Hoo hoo hoo!"_

_Tails steps back and looks around for the source of the sound. Suddenly a crazed owl jumps down before him with a devilish grin on his face._

" _You fell right into my trap, brat!"_

_Before Tails can react the owl pulls out a remote and presses a button. The floor under his feet disappears and he's falling through the air._

_His heart skips a beat when he notices spikes approaching directly below him. Reacting as fast as he can he spins his tails to keep himself from getting completely scoured, hovering in the air above the spikes. He looks up just as the trap door closes shut, leaving him in the room below. Remembering his companion he looks around to see if the robot dog fell with him._

" _T-Pup!"_

_The robot flies quickly over to him, licking Tails' face. He sighs in relief, glad the robot didn't land in the spikes below._

" _I'm glad you're okay boy." He pats the robot on the head._

" _Aw isn't that cute!"_

_Tails looks up his eyes landing on a speaker on the ceiling._

" _Too bad it won't last much longer! You've caused far too much trouble for the Battle Bird Armada! And I, the great Dr. Fukurokov, will be the one to crush you…"_

_Tails hears what sounds like gears turning and watches in horror as the walls to his right and left start moving in._

" _Literally!"_

_The fox wildly searches for any means of escape. As the walls slowly inch closer his heart rate speeds up and panic begins to consume him. Nearby T-Pup barks and rams himself into one of the walls attempting to push it back. Looking around Tails remembers the trap door and flies up to the ceiling. He grabs the edges of it and attempts to pull it apart but it doesn't even budge. With no other options the fox pulls out a couple explosives and hurls them at it from afar. When the smoke clears he hasn't even left a dent._

_He looks back at the wall T-Pup is trying to stop, searching for any way they can survive. For a brief second his mind goes numb with panic._

' _What do I do? What do I do!... This can't be how it ends! I have to get out of here! C'mon Tails think!'_

_As if answering his prayers he spots a hole in one of the walls, just big enough for T-Pup to get through._

" _T-Pup! There's a hole you can fit through down there!"_

_The robot's eyes follow where Tails points. Rather than listen to it's owner though, it looks back to him with a whimper. Tails would comfort the robot but there's no time so instead he yells to his companion, "It's okay boy. I'll be fine here for a little bit as long as you can get me out of this. I'm counting on you, T-Pup!"_

_T-Pup slowly nods before reluctantly obeying and racing away into the hole._

_Left alone Tails can only hope T-Pup can get him out of this. He decides to at least try breaking the walls throwing bombs near the hole to see if he can make it any bigger. Again he fires bomb after bomb but when the smoke clears the wall is just the same as before. Out of options he flies at the wall pushing as hard as he can. As the walls get closer and closer together his heart hammers faster and he's overtaken with fear. He feels breathless and tears well up in his eyes. He didn't want it to end, not like this! The wall behind him brushes against his tails and he squeezes his eyes shut waiting for his inevitable end._

" _Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"_

_Tails jumps when he hears the scream. The walls abruptly stop moving and relief washes over him._

' _He did it! T-Pup did it!'_

_The trap door pulls open a second later and Tails wastes no time flying out of the room. Bursting back into the room above, he looks around at the complete mess. The huge computer monitor lies on the ground wires sparking out of the back of it. Numerous machines nearby are knocked over as well, scattered across the floor._

_He hears T-Pup whimper again and looks over at the robot dog sniffing at the ground beside the monitor. Confused, Tails steps forward and sees a hand peeking out from under it. Tails recognizes the hand, belonging to the owl from before and feels sick all over again._

_"No… there's no way...T-Pup... I didn't…"_

_He covers his mouth in shock and moves to push the monitor off of him. That doesn't work so he ends up taking the owl by the arm and pulling him out from under it instead. He goes to check for a pulse when the sound of footsteps stops him._

" _Hey!"_

_He glances back at the entrance and sees a squadron of troops running down the hall. Not wanting to get captured he forces himself to leave the owl lying there and flies towards an exit on the other side of the room still feeling sick to his stomach._

* * *

Tails eyes slowly open and he's greeted by the light of early dawn. Unlike the previous dream this one leaves him feeling sick and cold. Pulling the blanket over his head he squeezes his eyes shut. After what had happened yesterday he still feels completely lost. A part of him believed there was no way he could be making any of this up while another part of him was beginning to doubt that.

Before any of this had happened he had already been feeling so unimportant; maybe he was making this up to make himself feel better? Could it really just be some fantasy in his head? A lump forms in his throat.

He just wanted it to stop at this point! It was driving him crazy! As much as he wanted it to be real all evidence proved it wasn't. He was still the same, he'd never done anything like what he'd seen in his dreams or what Speedy had talked about. He was Sonic's sidekick and that was all he'd ever be. Maybe the reason it kept happening was because he wanted to believe it. So he makes up his mind right then and there not to. He would forget about it and act like none of this ever happened. Wiping his eyes for good measure he sits up forcing himself to get ready for the day.

* * *

Sonic sleeps on the roof that night. After Amy had left he had tried to talk to the fox but Tails had brushed him off, telling him he was tired and he'd talk to him in the morning. Letting him be Sonic had made his way outside to the roof where he could watch the night sky. Looking up at the stars reminded him of when Tails was younger. The fox would excitedly ask him about the different constellations on nights like this and Sonic would answer all his curious questions to the best of his ability, finding it rather amusing. He can remember vividly the admiring gaze the fox would give him as he told his stories. Thinking of his past adventures he wonders why everything had changed so much. He tries to remember the last time Tails had run with him and it concerns him that he can't seem to recall how long ago it was. He wonders how long Tails had been feeling down and why he didn't notice earlier. With his thoughts filling the silence and the stars above him Sonic falls into a dreamless sleep.

When he opens his eyes again the sun is already high in the sky above him. Getting up into a sitting position he stretches and stands up.

His ears perk when he hears what sounds like a welding torch. Jumping down from the roof he makes his way over to the workshop where Tails is working on the Tornado.

Rubbing at his eyes, he walks into the garage. "Hey kiddo. You feeling better?"

Tails doesn't even turn to greet him continuing his work. "Yeah."

Sonic waits for the fox to elaborate but he doesn't. Fidgeting awkwardly he tries to think of what to say.

"So uhh... do you wanna maybe talk about it?"

Tails still won't look at him. "No... it doesn't matter."

Sonic tilts his head to the side. "It doesn't matter?"

Tails nods. "I'm fine now. I know none of it was real so it doesn't matter."

Sonic frowns at his tone. "Okay… well maybe we could talk about how you're feeling then?"

Tails finally turns the torch off so Sonic can hear him better. The fox sighs. "No… it's okay Sonic. I'm fine now. Thanks for asking though."

He turns the torch on again and Sonic finds the sound of it irritating. Sonic's not clueless he can tell Tails is definitely not fine. He stubbornly walks up next to the fox, demanding his attention.

"Tails you're obviously not happy. I just want to know what's going on?"

The fox finally looks at him but rather than the bright energetic blue eyes he's used to they appear pale and cold. "I said I'm fine Sonic."

Sonic narrows his eyes. "No you're not Tails. Please I just want to help you!"

Already frustrated and upset, Tails glares at Sonic, standing up and yelling, "You can't help me! No one can! So just leave me alone!"

Sonic gapes, shocked at the normally passive fox's outburst. Tails wipes at the tears that are in his eyes staring at the floor. A tense silence settles in the air as Sonic tries to figure out how to handle this. Tails was never this aggressive, sure he got upset sometimes but he hardly ever yelled at him.

Tails sniffles and turns away, "Sorry Sonic I just… I don't think there's any way you can help. And I… I'm frustrated today. I think I need some space."

Sonic watches his friend carefully, concern shining in his eyes. He wonders if there's really nothing he can do to help. He doesn't like the feeling it leaves him with and he thinks this might be how Tails had been feeling lately. His heart aches with guilt.

"Okay… look Tails I promise I'll let you be but… I'm sorry about leaving you behind and I'm sorry if I've made you feel helpless. I… I get carried away a lot and I just want you to be safe so I-"

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize." Tails sends him a forced smile and mumbles softly to himself, "I'd probably just get in the way."

Sonic shakes his head. "You never get in the way Tails! Even if you don't get in on the action, just you being there means the world to me."

Sonic hopes his words get through to him but unlike the other times he's comforted the fox Tails face doesn't light up in a relieved smile. Instead he stares at the ground brow furrowed as if lost in thought.

When he speaks it comes out as a whisper but Sonic manages to hear it. "Aren't I… capable of more though?"

Sonic blinks. Of course Tails is but he'd rather not have the fox get hurt somehow. When they were younger he had always hated watching the fox barely dodge lasers and spikes. And in recent years Tails had almost gotten hurt multiple times due to numerous circumstances. The reason Sonic left him behind sometimes was really because he didn't want him to get hurt.

"Of course you are Tails! But… you don't need to fight Eggman to be helpful. Like I said you just being there is enough."

He hopes his words help but Tails still seems unhappy.

"Right… thanks."

Sonic isn't sure what else to say. Sighing, he turns and starts heading out of the garage. He tries to remember Knuckles exact words from yesterday.

" _I know you don't want him to get hurt Sonic but… I don't think leaving him behind makes him feel very good."_

Before he's completely left the garage he halts and shakes his head; Tails was growing up much too fast. "You're important to me Tails but… I know you're capable of so much on your own. I just… I'm sorry."

With that he speeds off hoping that it at least helps his friend a little.

* * *

Sonic doesn't return the rest of the day and it goes by incredibly slow. Eventually the Tornado no longer distracts him so Tails makes his way into the house and tries to find something to watch on TV. He eats crackers for lunch and eventually falls asleep on the couch. When he wakes up late in the afternoon he's relieved to find he didn't have anymore weird dreams.

It's unusual for him to laze around like this. Normally his mind's always thinking of different possibilities and he spends most of his day in his workshop inventing and planning. Today though everything feels hollow as if he's not really himself. He also feels a little ashamed that it's already almost six in the afternoon and he hadn't accomplished anything all day.

Sitting up he eyes the empty bag of crackers on the table beside the coach. He needs to buy groceries he realizes. Slowly getting off the couch he grabs a jacket and heads out the door. He knows he needs to try to get back to normal and maybe getting groceries will help.

But as he walks through the frigid night air he can't help but feel a little nervous looking over his shoulder often. On the train he avoids eye contact hoping to avoid seeing a certain green bird. Once he's at Station Square his shopping trip takes an hour. By the time it's 7:00 he hasn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Groceries in hand he finds himself wandering towards the beach where he hopes the sound of the waves will help him relax. He walks up to a bench, sits with his groceries and looks out over the waves. It's quiet and calm and for a brief second he thinks maybe everything was in his head before. After all he hadn't had a weird dream during his nap and he hadn't had any strange runs ins yet either. Maybe all it took to get rid of it was to stop believing it was real even if it leaves him feeling empty inside like he's missing something.

"I totally won that race y'know!"

Tails ears droop and his heart sinks. _No! It's just your imagination. It can't trick you. You can make it go away._

Speedy walks up beside him and even as Tails shuts his eyes he can hear the sound of his shoes against the sand.

"Go away."

There's a beat of silence as Speedy tries to figure out why he sounds so mad.

"Geez! Okay... I guess it was more like a tie."

Tails keeps his eyes shut ignoring his words. "Please go away..."

Speedy goes quiet again. Tails hopes it's because he finally made it stop but when he opens his eyes the bird's still there looking at him with obvious confusion.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

Tails glares at him, irritated that no matter what he does it's not working. "You're not real! I know this is all in my head! So disappear already!"

Yelling at him doesn't make him disappear instead it just makes Tails feel bad because Speedy actually looks hurt for a second. A second later Speedy's glaring at him again like he normally would.

"What?! You were the one who thought this was real in the first place! What happened to figuring this out?"

Tails frowns and tries to think of a rebuttal but he can't seem to collect his thoughts.

"I… Sonic and the others… Amy didn't see you..."

"Who cares what they think?!"

Tails flinches.

"They aren't you! They don't know what you're seeing! How do they know what's real and what's not? And if you're crazy… then...then I..."

He trails off and the beach is once again quiet. Tails doesn't know what to say. None of this makes any sense and it hurts his head, like the first night this had happened. None of the puzzle pieces align and he feels like… like he's forgetting something. It's not the same as deja vu it's like his mind is trying to tell him something… something important. Before he can think of it Speedy starts walking away.

Tails yells after him. "Wait! Where are you going now?!"

Speedy stops only briefly to respond. "You wanted me to go away so I will."

He takes off into the air leaving Tails completely alone again.

Rather than feel happy or relieved Tails feels just as hollow as he did before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was written ages ago. There are some things I'd probably change now but I don't think it's too bad. This fic was originally posted on Fanfiction so if you see it cross posted I promise this is the same person uploading it. I want a new account on here so I'm starting fresh.
> 
> Also thank you so much for the kudos so far! It means a lot to me and I hope you continue to enjoy this story ^^


	6. Reality

_Tails legs are fatigued and his body feels heavy but he tells himself again and again that he can't give up. If he wants to save the emeralds and this island he has to do this by himself, there's simply not enough time to get help. The fortress he's in now is massive and terrifying with soldiers everywhere. He does his best to avoid them but every once in a while one of them sees him and he's forced to fight trying not to cause any major injuries, just enough to let him escape. T-Pup helps when he can, his only real companion. As he gets further and further into the ship he only feels more nervous, fearing what he has to face ahead. Finally he comes upon a large room that he believes leads directly into the command room, where he can hopefully decommission the ship._

_Walking into it he holds an explosive at the ready, looking around cautiously. T-Pup follows behind him sniffing the ground suspiciously._

" _You made it."_

_Tails gets in a battle stance as the green bird from before floats to the ground wearing what appears to be an armored suit. He recognizes it instantly, from the blueprints on the monitor screen he had seen before._

" _I have to admit I'm impressed! You managed to take down our best troops! Not even Dr. Fu...Dr. Fuk…" Tails and T-Pup share a look. "Dr…. Ugh you know who I'm talking about!"_

_Tails doesn't say anything but he's relieved that it seems as if the owl from before was okay. At least the bird's tone made him think the owl must still be alive. It had been pestering his mind since it happened._

_The green bird smirks and continues. "You might've been able to beat them but you won't get past me! I won't let the Armada lose Cocoa Island because of some freak!"_

_The fox gets ready watching his opponent closely. Suddenly the bird rushes at him and Tails lifts up into the air dodging out of the way. His reflexes react quickly and he hurls bomb after bomb at his opponent. Sadly the bird dodges practically all of them quickly taking off into the air and charging some kind of beam from an arm cannon at the fox._

_Tails is briefly stunned and barely manages to avoid getting totally fried. Instead only his right leg is grazed by the laser but it still hurts and he lets out a pained yelp. He doesn't have time to rest though as the bird fires another shot at him. Distracted by the pain in his leg he barely manages to dodge it, almost losing an ear. Attempting to retaliate he throws more bombs but the suit makes the bird faster and he moves out of the way firing another laser._

' _Ugh! This isn't working!'_

_As he dodges another laser he thinks back to the blueprints he'd seen. If he remembers right based on the suit's poor ventilation system it should easily overheat. The bird stops briefly and Tails knows what he has to do if he wants some kind of opening._

_He turns towards his opponent and sticks his tongue out, taunting him. "C'mon birdie! That machine's way too slow for me!"_

_Just as he hoped the bird sneers and fires at him again. "Shut up freak!"_

_Focusing on dodging rather than attacking he flies away from him as the bird gives chase still firing at him._

' _So far so good!'_

_Turning around in the air he taunts him again. "Is that really the best you can do?"_

" _I said shut up!" He fires multiple lasers again in succession and Tails somehow manages to dodge them all. There's suddenly a click sound and finally Tails has his chance._

_The bird looks down in alarm at the arm cannon on the suit that won't fire. "What?!"_

_Tails flies above his opponent returning the earlier attacks with his own. Multiple of the bombs meet their target. Eventually Speedy manages to dodge out of the way and Tails has a hard time keeping up with how fast he's moving. Tails realizes he has to figure out how to hit him before the suit starts working again._

_He knows he's simply not fast enough at throwing his bombs to hit him, but if he can figure out his opponents pattern he might be able to retaliate. He watches his opponent closely as the bird dodges attempting to get closer to the fox so he can attack._

_He begins to figure out the pattern in his opponents movement and decides to take a chance leading his throw rather than aim directly at him. He briefly sees a flash of panic in the birds eyes as the bomb hits him sending him reeling towards the ground. Catching himself he flies up at Tails again and the fox continues his barrage. Just as Tails intended the bombs hit his opponent again and the machine visibly sparks._

_Ignoring the throbbing in his leg he lets the bird get closer and dodges out of the way of a kick and a punch. Dodging one last attack he flies above him and briefly halts his spinning tails to slam them down onto the suit instead. The machine takes the hit and goes hurtling towards the floor taking its occupant with it._

_The floor gives under the impact and Tails is momentarily shocked at his own strength. Smoke rises from the dust stirred by the impact and Tails knows right away something's wrong when the bird doesn't emerge from the smoke._

_He hears T-Pup bark in alarm as Tails flies into the dust and smoke. He can hardly see anything but he manages to make it to the sparking and smoke filled suit. Remembering the blueprints from earlier he pulls out a wrench and starts taking the side of it apart. He disassembles it just enough so he can yank the bird out of it and fly them both away from the wreckage._

_Tails lands them on the ground a safe distance and takes a breath of clean air. The bird drops to the ground beside him coughing and fighting for oxygen. T-Pup flies over whimpering at Tails feet. Tails looks down at his comrade and remembers the injury on his leg. Inspecting it now it doesn't look as bad as he thought. He takes some gauze out of his backpack and wraps it up as best he can._

" _He's going to kill me…" Tails catches the bird's words even against the sound of sparking and flames nearby._

_The bird slowly stands up, staggering a little and turns to face him. Rather than the smirk Tails is used to he's genuinely smiling._

" _That was impressive… you're definitely something else."_

_It takes a moment for Tails to process his compliment but when he does his face lights up in a smile. He'd been alone for so long no one had ever complimented him before, it makes him feel accomplished and warm inside._

_Tails stands up responding happily. "Thanks! You're not too bad yourself!"_

_T-Pup barks gleefully, tail wagging as he looks between the two of them._

_Crossing his arms the bird continues to smile at him. "By the way I don't think I ever asked your name."_

_Tails practically beams. "Miles Prower, but um... I guess you can call me Tails."_

_The bird nods and takes to the air smirk once again present on his face. "Alright then. Well Tails I'm sure we'll meet again and when we do I'll be much stronger so you better not expect to beat me so easily!"_

_As the bird turns to fly out of the room Tails calls out to him._

" _Wait! What's your name?"_

_He looks back to the fox smirk still present on his face. "They call me Speedy! Don't die facing my Father!"_

_Leaving him with that the bird flies off. Tails watches him go before turning to the door on the other side of the room. T-Pup barks at his feet and Tails glances down. The robot dog looks at him, eyes shining in encouragement. Tails takes a breath and nods walking towards the door._

* * *

Tails ears twitch in irritation as a crow outside the house caws repeatedly. Rolling over he curls up again attempting to fall back asleep.

" _I won't let the Armada lose Cocoa Island because of some freak!"_

Dazed with sleep it takes his mind a second to fully understand the significance of that statement. The second he does though he sits up.

 _Cocoa Island?! Have I been there before?_ He can't remember no matter how hard he tries but somehow…. he feels like he has. Standing up he walks over to the closet pulling out a backpack.

_I'm going to get to the bottom of this! Maybe no one else can see what I can but… but it feels real!_

Opening his bedroom door he runs down the stairs and to his workshop.

* * *

The Tornado rocks against the harsh wind as Tails flies over the ocean. According to the map on the Miles Electric the island was supposedly somewhere near here. Oddly enough according to the records he had found online the island had become somewhat of a myth even though it was still present on a lot of older maps he had found.

Even more intrigued and confused he had uploaded one of the maps into the Miles Electric and set out to find it. Another harsh gust of wind rocks the plane and he feels incredibly cold. The sun isn't blocked by any clouds and he knows it's supposed to be warm today but it feels as cold as winter.

The Miles Electric emerald radar suddenly pops up and starts beeping. The plane's display starts going haywire as well and Tails looks down at it trying to figure out the problem. When he looks back up there's a storm directly in front of him. He doesn't even have time to turn the plane around as it goes straight into the plethora of clouds. He realizes he's lost control of the plane and fights to regain it. Wind rushes past his ears and his mind is hazed with panic as he tries to breath. The edges of his vision grow dark and he tries to stay conscious as it consumes him. Slowly the sound of the plane falling fades from his ears and he's left in complete and total silence.

* * *

Waves crash against the shore over and over again. It's all Tails can hear and it's the only thing he can think about. He doesn't want to wake up. He thinks it's nice, just the sound. Everything is simple and easy, just like it used to be...

" _...ils…"_

He ignores the voice that tickles his ear and focuses on the waves that crash on the shore.

" _...ails..."_

He shifts away from the voice focusing on the sound of the waves.

" _...ails...Tails...Tails!"_

His eyes snap open. Rather than the sunny bright beach he expected everything around him is gray and colorless. The sand he's lying on is devoid of its yellow coloring and the palm trees in the distance are perfectly still and pale blending in with the whiteness around him. The only thing that moves is the ocean brushing against the sand.

He slowly pushes himself up to his feet looking around. The sky above him is just as colorless as everything else and the air around him feels frigid and cold. Looking in the distance he can see a forest and what appears to be a mountain but still nothing moves. It seems he's entirely alone.

He yells out hoping someone answers. "Hello!"

Nothing. Nothing but the already present silence responds.

"Hello! Is anyone there?!"

Still silence. Unsure of what to do he looks around again. There's no sign of the Tornado anywhere either and he begins to wonder if this is another dream. He's not entirely sure how to tell so he pulls as hard as he can at a couple strands of his fur to see if it hurts. He quickly recoils when he pulls hard enough for it to leave a sting. _This has to be real then… right?_

Finally he hears something, distracting him from his thoughts. Listening carefully he realizes it sounds like barking. He squints and sees what appears to be a small robot dog standing by the edge of the forest.

"T-Pup?"

The blurry figure barks again and runs off into the forest.

"Wait!"

Tails races after the robot rushing past the trees around him. As he runs after him, he begins to recall snippets of forgotten memories. He remembers being terrified as he fought Armada troops, but feeling accomplished when he managed to best them. He remembers sitting alone on a cliff face one night, staring up at the vast night sky. And he remembers huddling in a cave for warmth with T-Pup as they waited for the storm outside to end.

"T-Pup! Please stop!"

The dog yips and looks back at him briefly but doesn't listen. Instead he flies ahead into a small house near the end of a path. Tails follows after him pushing the door open and bursting inside.

"T-Pup?"

He looks around the small room but the robot appears to have completely vanished. Hesitantly he walks further into the room.

_I… I've been here before._

He remembers sitting at the desk in the corner working on blueprints for hours. He remembers putting together the exoskeleton for T-Pup making corrections and changes along the way. And he clearly remembers how happy he was when he finished creating the robot, watching its eyes light up with life for the first time.

He briefly flips through the blueprints on the desk for a submarine, some kind of radar and night goggles. He reads over the excited scribbles and notes on the side smiling at his own innocent enthusiasm. There's a sudden gust of wind that causes the trees outside to move. He swears he can hear whispering voices with it and rushes out the door following the sound.

Stopping briefly to figure out where it's coming from he scans his surroundings and gapes at what he sees. Out over the ocean not too far from the island he sees the same huge flying fortress from his dream. As he stares at it in complete awe something seems to call out to him. Swallowing his fear he takes to the air and flies towards it.

* * *

As he walks down the mazelike corridors he's shocked at how similar everything appears to his dreams and memories. While there aren't any soldiers around he can remember entering the different rooms and fighting them off in order to progress. It's as if he's walking through his memories, watching them like a tv show.

He nears the middle of the ship and halts when he sees the room he'd fought Speedy in during his dream. Slowly making his way inside he notes the armored suit lying partially in the ground. It looks exactly the same as he remembers it in his dream except without the smoke emitting from it. He inspects it for a moment vaguely remembering how familiar the symbol on the side is and noticing the bolts still on the floor from when he took it apart.

Turning away he looks towards the door that he was about to enter in his dream. Sucking in a breath as he had in the dream he walks towards it, determined to reveal what lies behind it. Every step he takes somehow feels heavier and heavier and his footsteps echo eerily around him. Finally reaching the door he reaches out a hand and pushes it open.

Rather than something terrifying, the door opens to a completely empty colorless room. The room has a control panel near the front with big windows on the wall above it looking out over the ocean. A large command chair sits in the middle of the room facing directly towards him.

The only oddity is the Chaos Emeralds scattered on the floor. All of them appear colorless and dead except for one. The white emerald sits on the chair glowing slightly. Curious he walks over to it ignoring the other emeralds at his feet. Once he reaches the chair he extends his arm out reaching for the emerald. The second his fingers curl around it there's a blinding white light and he squeezes his eyes shut as it engulfs everything around him.

* * *

_The second Tails enters the room he notices the figure sitting in the large command chair facing away from him. T-Pup follows behind him a moment later already growling at the figure as if sensing his ill intentions._

" _Ah, so you made it?"_

_The bird turns around a wide grin on his face gazing at the fox through his glasses._

" _I am the Great Battle Kukku! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."_

_The bird stands to his feet revealing just how tall he is compared to the small fox. Tails prepares an explosive, fear coursing through his veins. Instead of attacking the Battle Lord bows politely causing Tails to let his guard down slightly. The bird stands back up again, a delighted smile still present on his face._

" _I assume you were able to beat my son then?"_

_Tails doesn't say anything, intimidated by the bird's attitude._

" _Ha ha ha! I'm not surprised! You really are quite an odd creature aren't you? So very young..."_

_Tails fidgets at the odd creature comment, feeling like a bug under a microscope. The Battle Lord's expression changes drastically. He almost looks… sad._

" _It really would be a shame if something happened to you. I think my sons quite enjoyed your little fights. That's why I have a proposition for you! I will let you live if you leave this island and hand over the Chaos Emeralds. You've been quite a pain but I'm willing to show you mercy..."_

_The bird reaches his hand out, waiting for the fox to give him the backpack with the emeralds._

_For a brief second Tails considers his offer but ends up shaking his head in defiance once he comes to his senses. He'd heard about the power of the emeralds and he'd seen what the Armada had already done to this island. They were a threat to the people of this planet! If they got the emeralds he was sure they'd attack elsewhere using that power. He couldn't just give up, not after everything he'd been through!_

_The Battle Lord obviously isn't happy, mouth twisting into a frown. "I see. I will not hesitate to kill you child."_

_Tails swallows in fear but stands his ground holding the explosive in his hand defiantly._

" _Hand over the emeralds now!"_

_Summoning all of his courage he finally speaks. "No way!" T-Pup barks beside him in agreement._

_Glaring at him the Battle Lord stands to his full height. "Very well. I gave you a chance brat!"_

_The Battle Lord charges at him pulling his own bombs out of nowhere. Tails is so shocked by the aggression he gets hit, flying backwards._

_He hears T-Pup bark in panic as he catches himself and plants his feet on the ground skidding to a stop. When he looks up the first thing he sees is another bomb headed towards his face. Flying into the air he dodges it and throws a couple bombs of his own. Even as the bombs hit him the Battle Lord doesn't make a sound as if it doesn't even hurt, returning Tails fire with some of his own. Tails fights to see through the smoke and explosions as he continues his barrage._

_Eventually the Battle Lord lets out an angry growl as another bomb hits him. "That's it!"_

_Without any warning the Battle Lord jumps into the air and punches him directly in the face. The world spins around him as Tails hurtles backwards. He collides with the wall so hard it knocks the air out of him and sends the Chaos Emeralds in his backpack into the air. They scatter all over the floor as he falls to the ground motionless._

_He hears T-Pup bark and growl from across the room and then the Battle Lord shouts out obviously annoyed._

" _Ugh! Get off!"_

_Tails hears something hit the wall and T-Pup yelp. Forcing his eyes open he sees the robot lying on the ground motionless and broken._

" _T-Pup..."_

_He tries to get up but his head still hurts from when he hit the wall and his body doesn't respond the way he wants it to._

_Tails watches in horror as the Battle Lord walks towards him. Still struggling to stand up he grabs the nearest Chaos Emerald so that the bird can't take all of them while he's down. To his surprise the bird completely ignores the emeralds and walks up to him, grabbing him around the throat and lifting him into the air._

" _I gave you a chance brat!"_

_Tails grabs at his arm with his freehand trying to pull it off his throat. It's useless though as the Battle Lord continues choking the air out of him oblivious to the fox's attempts to pry his arm off. Desperate, Tails thinks of the legends he'd heard about the emeralds. Closing his eyes he prays and hopes with all his heart squeezing the emerald in his hand and begging it for help. Nothing happens and tears form in the corner of his eyes._

' _Please! Please help! I don't want to die! Please!'_

_As he feels his lungs scream for air and his vision starts to go black he sees a light shining out of his peripheral vision._

_The Battle Lord notices eyes widening in shock. "What?!"_

_He quickly drops the fox to the ground but the damage is already done. The emeralds on the floor begin to glow and the whole room is slowly engulfed in white light. As Tails hits the ground, air filling his lungs, the last thing he sees is the Battle Lord's panicked face._

* * *

Again Tails hears the ocean waves around him as he fights to regain consciousness.

Slowly he opens his eyes and looks around. Instead of the room from before he's lying on the beach again. He could remember everything as clear as day now. He remembers building the workshop on the island believing he was alone and wondering how he had ended up there in the first place. And he remembers fire all around him as the birds attacked the forest attempting to take over the island and make it their training grounds. _It was all real…I know now but... but then…_

Tears blur his vision. _I forgot! I forgot everything… But why?! I did so much by myself! How could I... how could I forget?!_

"You didn't have a choice."

He whips his head around at the feminine voice, recognizing the echidna right away. Tikal smiles softly from where she's standing on the beach watching him.

"Tikal…?"

She turns away from him looking towards the ocean. "You wanted to figure out what was real, didn't you? That's why you came to Cocoa Island?"

Tails composes himself, wiping at the tears in his eyes before standing up and nodding.

"Well now you know. Everything you remember that happened here was real." She goes quiet again leaving Tails to his own thoughts.

"But... why? Why did I forget?"

She frowns, meeting his gaze once more.

"When you called out to the emeralds for help they reacted differently than they would when Sonic uses them. They manipulated time sending you away somewhere safe, to Westside Island. This ended up creating a hole in your timeline. No one remembered any of the events that happened here... not even you."

Tails ponders her words recalling the blinding light that had consumed everything. The trees in the distance still remain lifeless as if time here wasn't real. It made sense and yet something wasn't adding up.

"Wait but… Speedy! He remembered somehow!"

Tikal remains quiet instead of responding directly to his words.

"Speedy… doesn't really exist. At least not in your timeline."

Tails heart plummets and his eyes beg her to continue, to help him understand.

"When the emeralds created the rip in time they took everyone you encountered with it. What you were seeing before was just fragments of what should've been in your timeline."

Tails doesn't know what to say. He hadn't intended for something like that to happen… he wasn't even aware something like that was possible.

Tikal continues, "It's quite intriguing really. Somehow when you found the white emerald it briefly caused the timeline to reform. That's what's been happening to you."

He swallows the lump forming in his throat, thinking over her words, "So the Battle Bird Armada and this island… they're no longer real?

Tikal nods. "Yes. But they're not completely gone. What's been happening to you can only be the will of the emeralds." She smiles softly, "The emeralds wanted to show you this place, Tails. Do you know why?"

Tails is still trying to follow everything so far. It takes him a moment to recollect his thoughts enough to shake his head.

Tikal looks almost sad, "I believe the emeralds were responding to your emotions. You've been feeling worthless recently."

Tails fidgets not meeting her eyes. She continues, "Tails… you may not be as fast as Sonic or as strong as Knuckles but you have other skills and abilities that are uniquely yours, like all creatures. You bring something special to the world…. and well… I think that's why the emeralds brought you here and reawakened your forgotten memories. Only you have the power they need."

Her words soothe an ache deep inside of him, that he knows had remained a constant pain in his chest for sometime now. It's hard to believe though and he meets her gaze with shiny eyes, "Really?" An amused smile settles across her features and she nods.

Tails sniffles just a little, eyes growing more glossy. Maybe she was right, he had seen what he was capable of in the past and if the emeralds had really guided him here that must mean he was important somehow. He wipes at his face. The emerald's powers was something that often eluded Tails. There was no real logical explanation for what they were capable of, after all. But seeing Sonic use them so many times, to save so many people, he knew there must be more to what they were trying to tell him.

He wipes at his eyes and softly asks, "Tikal? The Battle Bird Armada and this island… Did the emeralds bring me here to fix this?

Tikal walks forward looking out over the ocean, "That is what I believe. It wasn't just the Battle Bird Armada that disappeared that day. Time is strange. When a rip was torn through time there were others that also vanished."

Tails is hit with so much guilt at once it feels like a punch to the gut. His ears flatten against his when he remembers Sonic talking about his old friends Mighty and Ray. According to Mighty one day Ray had just vanished and since then he'd been desperately trying to find him. Had Tails caused that? And while the Battle Bird Armada had done awful things, not all of them were bad. Speedy at least deserved to live his life, and Tails had unintentionally taken that from him.

He turns to Tikal with determination, "I want to fix this, Tikal. No, I have to fix this! Is there a way I can?"

She walks forward and holds out her hand revealing the white emerald in her grasp. She nods, a gentle smile still present on her face. Tails reaches out carefully and takes the emerald from her hand.

"The emeralds listened to your request before and I'm sure they will again. But you have to have faith in yourself! You won't be able to fix this if you don't."

He glances down at the emerald. _Right… she's right... I can do this!_

He takes a deep breath and sends her the best smile he can.

"Thank you, Tikal!"

She smiles and nods. With one last look of gratitude Tails takes the emerald in both his hands and closes his eyes. The sound of the waves around him begin to quiet as he focuses, begging the emeralds to fix everything, to fix his reality. He thinks about all the things that mattered to him, all the things he believed in. He remembers when Sonic had excitedly agreed to get chili dogs with him, when Amy had happily tried on boots asking his opinion, and when Knuckles told him confidently he would make sure he was safe.

He thinks about when he'd made T-Pup and how happy he'd felt, and he thinks about all the challenges he overcame on his own and how proud he'd felt. He thinks back to how happy and ecstatic he had been when he had first beat Speedy in a race all by himself. For the first time in a long time he knows he can make a difference. He's going to fix this no matter what!


End file.
